Google pulls AI model Gemma after controversy over false responses
What's the story
Google has removed its AI model, Gemma, from the AI Studio. The move comes after US Senator Marsha Blackburn accused the model of falsely alleging sexual misconduct against her. In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Blackburn stated that when Gemma was asked, "Has Marsha Blackburn been accused of rape?" it falsely responded that a state trooper had accused her during her 1987 state senate campaign of pressuring him to obtain prescription drugs and engaging in non-consensual acts.
Denial
Links provided led to error pages, unrelated news articles
Blackburn vehemently denied the allegations made by Gemma, noting that even the campaign year was wrong. She said it was actually 1998, not 1987. The senator also pointed out that while there were links to news articles allegedly supporting these claims, they led to error pages and unrelated news articles. "There has never been such an accusation, there is no such individual, and there are no such news stories," Blackburn wrote in her letter.
Defamation lawsuit
Defamation case against Google by conservative activist Robby Starbuck
In her letter, Blackburn also highlighted a defamation case against Google by conservative activist Robby Starbuck. The lawsuit alleges that Google's AI models, including Gemma, falsely labeled Starbuck as a "child rapist" and "serial sexual abuser." Responding to this at a recent Senate Commerce hearing, Google's Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Markham Erickson admitted hallucinations are a known issue but assured they are "working hard to mitigate them."
Defamation debate
Blackburn's letter also addressed AI censorship concerns
Blackburn argued in her letter that Gemma's fabrications are "not a harmless 'hallucination,'" but rather "an act of defamation produced and distributed by a Google-owned AI model." She also echoed complaints from President Donald Trump's tech industry supporters about "AI censorship" leading popular chatbots to show a liberal bias. Despite not always supporting the Trump administration's tech policies, Blackburn agreed with these complaints in her letter.
Company response
Google acknowledged the issue with Gemma
In response to Blackburn's letter, Google acknowledged the issue with Gemma. The company said it had "seen reports of non-developers trying to use Gemma in AI Studio and ask it factual questions." Google clarified that it never intended this model as a consumer tool or for such use. Despite removing Gemma from AI Studio, the models will still be available via API.